Transit center wants bigger cargo ships than ever at Muuga

In the future, Estonian firm Transiidikeskuse AS, which handles cotainer and bulk shipping at its Transit Center at the Port of Muuga, would like to bring 5-6 Panamax-sized cargo ships per year to Muuga, and is in the process of building three new warehouses with a total of 12,000 area of square meters, or nearly 130,000 square feet.

Estonian daily Ärileht (link in Estonian) has reported that the gross investment in the new warehouses totals five million euros.

According to Chairman of the Board Erik Laidvee, the transit center is currently applying for the construction permits needed for the construction of the warehouses. "The first should be completed by November already, but if we're lucky then possibly all three [will be completed]," he told the paper. "Some equipment is already ordered, some is being ordered, but some of it has already arrived."

The Panamax, named after the Panama Canal, is a class of cargo ships 290 meters (950 feet) long by 32 meters (106 feet) wide with a draft of 12 meters (39.5 feet). Before recent renovations, this was also the maximum size of ship the Panama Canal could handle.

Currently the Port of Sillamäe and the Port of Muuga's grain, coal and fertilizer terminals are able to handle Panamax-sized cargo ships visiting Estonia.

Based on ship draft and length, Panamax-sized ships can also dock at the Transit Center's berth No. 17, however until now the company's loading equipment was lacking. "We hope to serve five to six Panamaxes per year," said Laidvee.

The market situation prompted the Transit Center to make the investment. "There is a slump in containers, but demand in bulk cargo," said Laidvee. The Transit Center's container turnover during the first seven months of this year was six percent lower than during the same period last year. At the same time, however, bulk cargo grew by 42.3 percent.

"Annually we want to get an additional 300,000 tons of cargo; the current capacity is 700,000.

Annually, we want to get the 300 000 tonnes of cargo, currently has capacity of 700 000 tonnes," said Laidvee. "Thus, the total capacity next year could be one million tons."

The Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure submitted a bill amending the Liquid Fuel Act which would require liquid fuel suppliers to add fuels produced from renewable sources, known as biofuels, to their gasoline and diesel fuel. Estonia will be the last EU member state to take on this obligation.

The two ministers in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Kadri Simson (Center) and Urve Palo (SDE), announced on Friday that they were recalling all members of the Riigikogu currently serving on state company supervisory boards.

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The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Estonian Ministry of Finance have signed the second portion, worth 400 million euros, of a co-financing facility for Estonia aimed at supporting investments in research and innovation, sustainable transport infrastructure and the promotion of the development of the country's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

AS Eesti Meedia, the largest media group in the Baltics, has acquired the exclusive free-to-air audovisual rights for the territory of the Republic of Estonia for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Looking into Eesti Energia’s Jordan and Utah projects, both focused on oil shale processing, the National Audit Office found that the company had explained the involved risks sufficiently before making the investment.

Estonian transmission system operator Elering has announced a public procurement tender to find a designer and constructor of the Estonian section of the planned third Estonian-Latvian power connection, the total cost of which will be 172 million euros.

Minister of Rural Affairs Martin Repinski (Center) has invited food producers with export experience to take part in a roundtable on food export that is to take place at the Ministry of Rural Affairs on Dec. 14.

Participating in Friday's Telecommunications Council in Brussels, Estonia supported changing the EU's communication legislation which would help member states to adopt 5th-generation networks more quickly.

Minister of Health and Labour Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) plans on implementing restrictions on alcohol advertising in Estonia that the previous government failed to pass in March, reported daily Eesti Päevaleht.

During the first two years of its e-residency project, which provides foreigners with the opportunity to register companies in Estonia and use other e-state services, Estonia already has 15,000 e-residents who have established more than 1,000 businesses. On the occasion of the second birthday of the program, the President of Estonia stressed the importance of the program in introducing Estonia to the world.

The Tallinn Administrative Court ruled on Thursday in favor of Estonia's privately-owned train operator Edelaraudtee, which means that the Estonian state must pay the company 2.1 million euros in damages due to premature termination of contract.

The Estonian government approved a proposal on Thursday, made by Minister of Justice Urmas Reinsalu in connection with Estonia's e-residency project, to repeal the requirement that the management board of a company registered in Estonia must be physically located in the country. The change is to take effect in January 2018.

In October 2016, the production of Estonia's industrial enterprises increased 5 percent compared to October of the previous year, as production increased in manufacturing and the energy sector but decreased in mining and quarrying.

On Nov. 29, representatives of the Tartu Division of the Estonian Free Party met with Latvian representatives of the Rail Baltic project in Riga in order to discuss the former’s desire to see the route of the international railway project changed to connect Tallinn with Riga via Tartu, not Pärnu, as currently planned. This proposed change, however, did not find support on the Latvian side.

According to Estonian state-owned company Port of Tallinn, the sea trials of the new ferry Tõll were successful, and so the vessel is expected to begin its journey toward Estonia at the end of December and enter into service under subsidiary TS Laevad in early January.

While next year’s budget allocates €4m to state-owned railway company Eesti Raudtee, what it needs is actually closer to €15m. As the European Union’s support payments are slowly shrinking, the need for state investment in Estonia’s railway infrastructure is increasing.